r/MachineLearning - [D] Specific tips on Machine Learning research in a PhD

Everyone in this thread seems to be focused on testing, testing, testing. My best advice is to read (and understand) a bunch of articles. Get a good mental image of the landscape of your field, and figure out what you want to work on from there. Read increasingly specific articles, and get increasingly specific about what you want to research. At the same time, keep an open mind and don't focus too hard on your specific topic: you want to get ideas from elsewhere as well to boost your creativity.